1. Clerk of Course Training
Updated for the 2016 Season

2. Agenda GRAL Handbook Setting Up and Starting the Meet
Clerk Description
Training and Recertification
Trainee Requirements
Setting Up and Starting the Meet
Individual Events
Relays
Troubleshooting
Time to Practice

3. GRAL HANDBOOK

4. Section XIII of GRAL Handbook – Clerk of Course Description
Clerk of Course (Certified): The individuals for the Clerk of Course work together to get the swimmers seeded in heats and lanes. All classifications of swimmers may be combined to fill the heats. Individual swimmers will be placed according to seed time, fastest to slowest in lane groups 3&4, 2&5, 1&6. (If swimming in a 5-lane pool, lane groups are 3, 2&4, 1&5 and in an 8 lane pool 4&5, 3&6, 2&7, 1&8.) Heats will be swum slowest first and fastest last. The League will conduct pre-seeded meets that are seeded after an accurate Positive check-in has been turned into the Home Club Computer Rep 30 minutes prior to the start of the meet. The swimmers should be allowed to swim with the fastest competition available. In a pre-seeded meet, empty lanes may occur in any heat if there are scratches. SV and ADV relays will be treated as a SINGLE event when it is necessary to combine them, with the option of creating an extra heat, or not having the fastest heat completely full. This is to treat relays the same way as all other events are run, with fastest lanes going to fastest swimmers.  
As cumbersome as it is, the trainer should reference the GRAL handbook, tell trainees how to find it (GRAL Web site), and let them know that it is their responsibility to be familiar with it.

5. Section XIII of GRAL Handbook – Clerk of Course Description
The visiting and home clubs must provide to the home Computer Rep. (or meet Computer operator) a list of all scratches and changes no less than 30 minutes prior to the start of the meet.
Every effort shall be made to allow all swimmers registered for that meet to swim even if they are late arriving to Clerk. The Referee will be notified if a swimmer has shown up to swim after his/her assigned heat is in the water. The late swimmer may be placed in an empty lane in a later heat. The timers involved in the change will be notified of the late swimmer’s name. The Referee must be consulted if there are additions to an event or if an event needs to be skipped in order to combine heats.
The Clerk of Course shall keep the Starter and Referee informed of any changes to the number of heats for each event. The Clerk shall also inform any affected timers of the changes, and is encouraged to write the changes on his/her meet program.
The Clerk shall work with the Announcer to give swimmers a first call, second call, and final call for each event.
Many computer rep.’s are now seeding relays. At smaller meets, there are frequently between 6 and 12 (ie 2 heats) relays for a given age group. In these instances, the two heats may be divided by classification by the computer rep. so SV relays are competing against SV relays only, and ADV relays are competing against ADV relays only.
As cumbersome as it is, the trainer should reference the GRAL handbook, tell trainees how to find it (GRAL Web site), and let them know that it is their responsibility to be familiar with it.

6. Section XIII of the Handbook – Training and Recertification
TRAINING – The Clerk of Course must complete the GRAL training courses and pass the written test during the first year of service OR if certification is NOT continuously maintained. To complete the certification process, the trainee must walk a half meet and all relays as Clerk.
Recertification
Work a minimum of two halves per year.
Pass GRAL written test every other year.
Note that this is a change from prior years. In the past, clerks only needed to take the test one time and were considered perpetually certified as long as they worked two halves.

7. Responsibilities of the Trainee
Take this class from a certified GRAL trainer
A link to the online test will be sent to the that you provide at the training
Take and pass the test PRIOR to walking
If you walk prior to passing the test, that walk will NOT count
You can walk at either a home meet or an away meet
Walk (shadow a certified clerk) all relays (8&under relays that are swum at the beginning of the meet; older relays that are swum at the end of the meet)
Walk (shadow a certified clerk) for one half (either first or second)
Get the back of your card initialed by the Head Clerk
Make sure your name is on the cover sheet
The cover sheets are posted on the GRAL Web site shortly after the meet. It is your responsibility to make sure you are on it. If not, contact as soon as possible!
Emphasize that the test must be taken and passed prior to walking

8. When Walking a Position . . .
Model
Practice
Feedback
Watch the experienced worker in the position. Ask questions when you can.
Work the position yourself with the experienced worker monitoring.
Get feedback (both positive and constructive) on how you did from the experienced worker. Then start the process again.

9. SETTING UP AND STARTING THE MEET

10. Setting Up Your Area Benches, Chairs behind blocks Supplies
Set up to keep the flow going
The more benches you can set up the better
Each bench should have a number for each lane, or you can have the same number of benches as lanes, and the benches can be numbered for heats.
Supplies
Pencils, post its
Event numbers board that can be seen on deck (may need multiple)
Speaker to amplify your voice
This is just a general idea. Every pool is different and most have figured out how it best works for them.

11. Restricted Access
The only people who should be in the area during a meet are swimmers who are being seeded and clerk/clerk help.
No other swimmers or parents should be allowed.
Coaches, parent reps, and referee have unrestricted access, but if it becomes a problem, talk to the parent rep.
This is just a general idea. Every pool is different and most have figured out how it best works for them.

12. Personnel Personnel needed: Announcer is part of your team.
Head Clerk and at least 1 per position per half (benches, chairs behind block, etc.)
You will get one helper from the away team for each half. Please give him/her a meet program, put him/her where you need him/her, and treat him/her with respect.
Announcer is part of your team.
Announcer – call no shows? It’s up to your team; many do not.
Do not call an event whose age group is on the blocks (or behind). They won’t hear you and you don’t need that much time to set up. Take a break.
Also, please instruct your announcer to NOT talk over the Starter. The announcer should wait for the Starter and not the other way around.

13. Starting the Meet
As soon as you get the 8 & Under Relay cards seeded, you can start organizing them(it takes a while)
You should have extra parents and even older swimmers helping
These helpers are not allowed to touch the swimmers once they get in the water for the in water start, but they can give verbal directions
The meet can start (on referee’s call) once you have the 8 & Under Relays and the first seven events in paperwork; the rest will come
Should receive 4 copies of meet program – 3 for home team, one for away team
Unless you ask the computer rep for more or fewer copies
You are encouraged to take notes on your program of no shows or any seeding changes that you make

14. INDIVIDUAL EVENTS

15. Individual Events – Pre-seeding
With the introduction of pre-seeding, the computer now does all the seeding for you. All you have to do is follow the meet program.
The meet is seeded 30 minutes prior to meet start.
Empty lanes are okay due to scratches. You shouldn’t have too many if the pre-seeding was done correctly (i.e. kids who didn’t show up are taken out).

16. Individual Events – Clerk’s Job
Your job is to keep the flow going
Call kids names and place them on the bench
Tell them their heat and lane numbers
Remind them to tell the timers their names

17. RELAYS

18. Relay Cards
It is recommended that you have a second trained clerk who seeds the older relay cards while the main clerk is working the meet. This way the second clerk can focus on the seeding.
Get 8 & Under Relay cards from Computer Rep as early as possible to start setting up
Other relay cards should arrive by Event 40 (13-14 Girls Fly)

19. Relay Changes
Coaches can make changes to the relay cards up to when heat is on the block
Once the meet has started, relay divisions can NOT be changed and relays can NOT be added
Changes are written directly on the cards
Coaches may not see other teams’ cards

20. Relay Composition
Coaches have the authority to separate Advanced and Senior Varsity Relays (have them swim in different heats) but it must go through the Referee prior to meet start and both coaches must agree
This is uncommon but still may happen.
Relay composition: this is not your responsibility to ensure, but it is good information – if you see one that is wrong, inform the coach if possible
Advanced Relays may have mixed or same gender
Senior Varsity Relays must be mixed gender
Advanced Relays have only advanced and novice swimmers
Senior Varsity Relays have at least one JV/V/or SV swimmer

21. Relay Seed Times
All relays are given a custom time by the computer rep or coach
These custom times follow a prescription and must be done the same by each team or seeding will be difficult
Senior Varsity relays are noted by at 2 in the minute spot, and then go up by one second:
The first SV relay will have a time of 2:00.00
The second SV relay will have a time of 2:01.00 and so on
Advanced relays are noted by a 4 in the minute spot, and then go up by one second
Relays start with the letter A and progress through the alphabet from fastest team to slowest team as determined by the coach
Therefore, the letters for each team will not match unless they have the exact same number of SV relays

22. Seeding Relays
The clerk (and not the computer or computer rep) is ultimately responsible for seeding the relays
All trained clerks are expected to know how to seed
The computer may seed the relays, but they will not be seeded correctly, so the clerk will need to fix it
If the meet program has the relays printed in it, make sure to inform the Referee and Starter of any changes.

23. Seeding Relays – How To
Seeding is guided by USA Swimming rules , , and
We do not hold preliminary swims or swim-offs with GRAL
USA Swimming specifies that the lanes are numbered from right to left, but for ease of training, we will number the lanes from left to right when seeding
Lane assignments are made in descending order of seed times by placing the fastest team in the center of the pool and moving outwards (to the right if your lanes go from right to left and to the left if your lanes go from left to right)

24. Seeding Relays – How To
Lanes: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
5 Lane Pool X
6 Lane Pool
8 Lane Pool
The numbers in the lighter blue boxes above apply to the rank order
Start with putting the team with the fastest time in the middle lane
The next highest time should be placed to the right and then to the left, and so on

25. Seeding Relays – How To
USA Swimming states that if any teams have the same time, their respective lanes shall be determined by draw
Since, by design, there are usually two teams with the same exact time, it would be tedious to do a draw each time
The recommendation is that you place the away team first, but switch the lanes of teams with equal seed times (not necessarily letters) to allow teams to swim against the competition and not their own team, as much as is feasible

26. Seeding Relays – How To
The last heat should be composed of the fastest teams, thus heat one should have the fewest teams
If there are multiple heats, every heat must have at least three entrants; not every heat needs to be full
Make sure you tell the starter and the referee how many heats you have if the program does not list it (or does not list it correctly). Post-it notes are handy for this.
You will have a chance to practice at the end. You will need to seed relays on the test. There is a video on the GRAL Web site that demonstrates seeding.

27. Seeding Relays
After you seed the relays, it will be necessary to write the heat and lane numbers on the cards before you give them to the kids
If the computer seeds the relays and the numbers are already printed there, you will most likely need to change them

28. TROUBLESHOOTING

29. Troubleshooting - Procedures
If a swimmer is late and event is not over, try to fit him/her in an empty lane; check with ref before not letting child swim
GRAL Procedure VI.3: “No swimmer may be entered in more than 3 individual events.”
How does this affect you? You can’t add a swimmer to another event (say breaststroke) if s/he missed his/her first event (say backstroke) if that would make 4 entries. If this comes up, send the Coach to the Referee.
GRAL Procedure VI.2: “No changes may be made after the start of the meet or Distribution of Heat Sheets, whichever comes first.”
How does this affect you? If a Coach comes and asks you to make a change other than names on relay cards, send him/her to the Referee.

30. Troubleshooting - Reseeding
Pros
Cons
Speeds up the meet
Swimmers have more competition swimming beside them
A lot of hassle for a little gain
If not communicated correctly, it could cause a lot of problems
Often, there isn’t enough time

31. Troubleshooting - Reseeding
Whom to tell? Ref, Starter, affected Timers
Rules:
FIRST ASK THE SWIMMERS IF IT’S OKAY!
Must have SAME stroke and length
Can NOT create extra heat – combining of events must result in only one heat
If mixed gender, an empty lane MAY remain between them, but this is no longer a requirement
Swimmers in the same event must swim together

32. Troubleshooting - Reseeding
If combining two heats in the same event due to no shows, go for it; but only if 2 or more heats have just a couple of swimmers. Don’t go crazy – reseeding is a big headache!
If 2 events have very few or just one swimmer(s), ask Ref for permission
Another situation – what if scratches make it so a swimmer is swimming alone in a heat, but the next heat(s) is/are full? Ask the swimmer if it’s okay to swim alone. If not, move the two outside lanes to flank the swimmer. Let referee intervene if swimmers get upset.

33. Troubleshooting – Meet Postponement
Meet programs no longer need to be returned. Someone should recycle them
Meet will start where we left off – could be in the middle of an event (2nd heat, etc.)

34. TIME TO PRACTICE

35. Combining Events Should you combine Events 7 & 8?
Technically it meets the requirements, but it might not be the best idea to swim 8&Unders with 13-14s. Suggest leaving it alone.
Should you combine Events 17 & 19?
No! It does not meet the requirements. 17 is 50 Meters and 19 is 100 Meters.
Should you combine Events 40 & 42 or 41 & 43?
You could do this because it meets the requirements and since it is a 100 Meter event, it may have an impact on the speed of the meet.
The question is whether or not it is worth the hassle. As always, ask the kids if it would be okay with them first. They could give their opinions on whether they would rather combine with the same age group and different gender, or the same gender and different age group.
See meetprogram.pdf. Print this ahead of time. One copy, stapled should be sufficient. This slide is set up so that you see the question before the answer. To move along, you just click the mouse.

36. Calling Individual Events
Use sample meet program
See meetprogram.pdf. Print this ahead of time. One copy, not stapled should be sufficient.

37. Seeding Relays Use sample relay cards to practice Tips:
Sort cards by event, then by team in letter order (A to Z). Place them in front of you left to right with the away team on the top and A at the left.
Move cards so that the away team’s seed time matches the home team’s seed time (e.g. match 2:00.00 with 2:00.00 and 2:01.00 with 2:01.00, etc.). You may have to leave an empty space if a team does not have a match – Ignore the letters from this point on.
When you have matched up the teams, you can pick up the cards in rank order. The fastest should be on top and it should start with the away team if there are two with the same time (e.g. 2:00.00). If there is not a match (say you only have one team with 2:01.00) then go to the next time (2:02.00 or 4:00.00).
Place the first card in the fastest lane (3 if a 5- or 6-lane pool; 4 if an 8-lane pool).
Continue placing right then left until you run out.
Optional: Switch places of teams that are equal in terms of time (not necessarily letter) to make it so teams are most likely to swim next to the competing team and not their own team.
Number the heats starting with the slowest. Remember all heats should have at least three entrants (if there are multiple heats). If not, move a team or two teams earlier to make it three. Outside lanes may be empty.
See relaycards.pdf. Print these on card stock or paper to have ahead of time

38. Relay Practice Answers

39. Relay Practice Answers

40. Relay Practice Answers

41. Relay Practice Answers

42. Relay Practice Answers

43. Relay Practice Answers

44. Relay Practice Answers

45. Relay Practice Answers

46. QUESTIONS?